The Werewolf's Son
by AngstyCanadianGleek
Summary: Lily and Remus had an affair resulting in Lily's pregnancy with Harry. Lily and Remus take drastic measures to hide this from everyone but one Harry's thirteenth birthday, the truth starts to become revealed in the most terrifying way possible. What will happen when Remus and Harry meet for the first time? Or when Lupin discovers what his life with the Dursleys was like? AU
1. Preface

**This was an idea that crossed my mind a few months ago and now I've decided to let it blossom into a full blown story. Lily and Remus had an affair resulting in Lily's pregnancy with Harry. Lily and Remus take drastic measures to hide this from James but one Harry's thirteenth birthday, the truth starts to become revealed in the most terrifying way possible.**

* * *

Preface

Remus stared at Lily with a look of pure shock and worry; there was no way he could process what Lily had just told him. Remus feared not only for his friendship with James but what this would mean for himself and Lily during a time of war. But what would this mean for the baby?

Of course, the pair knew their actions were wrong but they had simply lost control of themselves one night and now Lily was pregnant with another man's baby.

Remus of course, loved Lily; he'd happily give his life for the kind woman who'd been his first real friend before James, Sirius, and Peter. Up until recently, he'd done so good at keeping his feelings pent up and hidden but that night, they'd been drinking and one thing led to another and...

"Are you sure?" Remus asked Lily once again, knowing perfectly well that her answer was not going to change. James and Lily's relation had been going downhill for several months. James and Lily hadn't been together in such a way for months and even Lily knew this wasn't about to change anytime soon. Everyone knew the reason why James was pulling away from Lily but nobody was going to say anything until James was ready.

But regardless, it was near impossible to tell just how James was going to react to this but at the same time, he had to know because Remus was smart enough to know that Lily would never opt for an abortion. Remus could see it in Lily's eyes; underneath the fear and worry was love for her unborn child. Remus knew in that moment that Lily would give this child everything the world could offer and more.

"I've come up with a plan. It's very drastic but it should work. A spell can be cast once the baby's born so they will resemble James and myself; I've spoken to James about it and he agrees that it is the safest plan for all of us," Lily explained to Remus with a tight smile. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, Remus!"

Lily's green eyes began filling with tears as she looked at Remus but she knew there was no way the two of them could raise a child together. His family would object and James' family would object to the betrayal. Lily knew what James' family was capable of and they had just barely come to accept that James had decided to marry a muggle-born like herself. She shuddered when she thought of what they do when they found out about the baby.

"It's a powerful spell and I will tell the baby the truth when it wears off," Lily informed Remus with a look of pure determination. She didn't want her child to grow up with the stigma associated with being the result of an affair. She wanted more for her child than that and this was the best way to do that.

Remus smiled at Lily with a look of pure adoration and love. He knew if anyone was capable of casting such a spell, it was Lily. Lily was the smartest witch he had ever met and Remus knew she was capable of doing everything her mind deemed possible. Lily stole one last kiss from Remus before whispering.

"The spell should wear off around the baby's thirteenth birthday and that is when I will reveal the truth," Lily said throwing her arms around Lupin in a deep embrace before tearing herself away from him and walking away. She left because she knew if she didn't leave then, that she would never leave at all. She had to put to rest the insane ideas of running off with Remus and raising their child together. The ideas of going with Remus and leaving everything and everyone behind.

Before Remus knew it, Lily was gone and his heart ached for her and now his unborn child. Remus sat down on his living room chair with his head in his hands and fought against the overpowering urge to run after her. Eventually, Remus and Lily would be together with their child; one day.

* * *

 **That was the preface... But things are only going to become complicated from here. Major time skip in the next chapter.**


	2. Chaos

_This isn't happening! This CAN'T be happening!_

Words could not describe how bewildered, scared and disturbed Harry Potter was when he woke up in the middle of his hotel room floor. He wasn't sure what was worse; the fact that he was lying on the ground or the fact that he was doing so completely naked. But his current position on the floor was not as terrifying as the condition of the room. To put it simply; it looked like a wild animal had been unleashed upon in the room and the only things that had not suffered from irreversible damage where the things that were too high to be reached by such a beast.

Harry couldn't remember much from the previous night; he was relaxing with Ron and Hermione when the pain started. Harry felt his bones breaking and moving in seemingly impossible directions, his jaw felt like it was pushing out of his face and he felt pin pricks over every inch of his skin. His organs and bones felt like they were grinding together, melting and burning. He had let out howls of pain and began rolling on the floor as the pain had become too much. The last thing he remembered before everything went blank was the terrified expressions on Ron and Hermione's faces as they ran out of the room.

Harry stared around the room; terror flooding his body as he tried to figure out what had happened last night. Harry tried desperately to remember something but came up completely blank. The only thing Harry could mentally process was how sore, tired and nauseous he was feeling at that moment. Harry can't remember feeling this crummy before and he'd had some rough moments in the past two years. Heck; the Dursleys never even had him in this much pain before and that was saying something.

Harry was just pulling on a pair of pants when a soft, hesitant knock caught his attention. Confused, Harry made his way to the door and slowly opened. Standing at the other side of the door was Ron and Hermione and they both looked worried. More than worried, concerned but they were hiding it well to keep Harry calm... Calmer. He was freaking out and it seemed appropriate.

How could he not freak out? But panicking was causing his heart to race which seemed to hurt. Breathing hurt. Thinking hurt. It all hurt but he had to try and figure this all out.

"Harry! You're alright! Thank goodness! Do you know how scared you had us?" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her arms around Harry, making his muscles and bones scream in pain.

"Hermione, let the man go! Can't you see you're hurting him?" Ron said, clearly seeing the expression on Harry's face. Hermione immediately released Harry and gave him a sympathetic nod. Harry opened the door the rest of the way and pulled his friends into the room. Harry wasn't sure what reaction he expected when his friends saw what was left of the room but this wasn't it. But the expression on their faces made Harry think that somehow they thought the room was going to look _worse_!

"Bloody Hell, mate! You did a number on this room! Hermione, look at the door! I told you the wards were a good idea!" Ron cried, causing Harry to look at the hotel room door; the door was covered in what looked like claw marks! Actually, most of the room was covered in claw marks but that door seemed to take the worst beating. Somehow Harry felt more nauseated than he had been a couple seconds ago.

"What happened last night? I can't remember a thing!" Harry exclaimed trying once again to remember something but only made his head spin slightly. When Harry began swaying a little bit he felt someone's hand gripping his elbow and guide him towards the mutilated bed. The blankets were shredded, the bed boards were scratched and covered in... bite marks?

"You changed man! You grew fur and your face! It..."

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed angrily; the shrill tone on her voice caused Harry to wince. "Harry, you turned into a werewolf. I recognized it when your face started shifted and you're lucky I did because I was able to get Ron and myself out of the room in one piece. I decided to put a few wards on the room to make sure no one heard you and that you couldn't get out of the room and... How are you feeling?"

Harry noticed the way Hermione dropped the subject before she could say what would have happened if Harry had gotten out. Looking around the room, Harry was able to come to his own conclusions what would have happened had Harry escaped. The only thing that brought relief to Harry's mind was that his trunk and _Hedwig_ were in Ron's room.

"I feel like I got the stuffing beat out of me," Harry said honestly; not feeling like trying to downplay his condition. Besides, he knew neither Ron nor Hermione were thick enough to believe Harry could go through such a physical change and feel perfectly fine the next morning.

"I brought you a pepper up potion," Ron said handing Harry a vial of red potion. "I know you're in pain but we've still got to go to Hogwarts. This should get you to the castle and hopefully through the feast." Harry gratefully took the potion; he felt ready to curl up and sleep for a year. He chugged down the potion and ignored the tingling that trailed down his throat as the potion made its way down.

"The staff are going to have heart attacks when they see this room!" Harry said, feeling embarrassed at the idea of someone seeing the state of this room. Hermione let out a laugh and took out her wand.

"Don't worry Harry; they won't even know what happened."

* * *

Harry had fallen asleep while Hermione frantically cast spells around the room repairing everything that Harry had destroyed in his... fit of animalistic madness? It wasn't long before Harry found Ron shaking him awake.

"Time to go to catch the train, Harry. I packed your trunk," Ron said as he shook Harry. When Harry opened his eyes, he wasn't as tired as he felt before and he was very grateful for that. The room looked like a normal room again. Nothing was shredded, destroyed or bitten. If Harry didn't feel complete rubbish, he would have hugged Hermione and Ron. But the idea of spreading his arms made him wince in pain.

Harry nodded and followed Ron out of the hotel room. As excited as Harry was to go back to Hogwarts, he really just wanted to curl back under the covers and sleep forever.

* * *

The platform was crowded and cramped; Harry was irritable from being nauseous and the sunlight was burning his still sensitive eyes. Ron had assured him that this was a side effect of the pepper up potion.

Ron was known for his colds and chest infections, therefore, he tended to take Pepper-Up potions regularly so it wasn't too far fetched that he would be more familiar with the effects of the potions than Hermione who knew the facts but Ron's experience was a little more valuable. Sure, it was nice to hear from Hermione that the symptoms he was having were common, it was Ron who could tell him how to angle his head so the room would stop spinning and how to ease the jitters that came with the potion.

Ron was enjoying the fact that he had more advice to offer than Hermione and the girl was content to allow him the victory, only bringing him to task when he got a little bit too cocky about it. Hermione had given Harry a pain relieving potion that had brought down the pain in Harry's bones and muscles.

Harry quietly followed Ron and Hermione onto the train. Ron had helped load Harry's trunk onto the train and Hermione had helped Harry find the emptiest compartment she could and thankfully it was across the hall from a train toilet.

The compartment contained only one other passenger and strangely enough, it was a man who was asleep. His briefcase lay beside him displaying his name, _Professor R.J. Lupin._ Even weirder was the fact that Harry found something really familiar about this man but he was unsure just why he recognized this man. But he couldn't think about it because as soon as the train lurched to a start, his stomach did too and he dashed out of the compartment to familiarize himself with the train toilet.


	3. Sick

Harry spent the duration of the trip to Hogwarts in the toilet. Hermione and Ron sat in the compartment with their new professor; occasionally Ron or Hermione would knock on the toilet door to see if Harry was still alive in there. Sometimes Harry would respond with words, sometimes he'd respond with a couple light taps to the floor. It was clear that Harry was miserable and what's worse was there was nothing Ron or Hermione could do until they got to Hogwarts.

Hermione made her way back to the compartment to find their sleeping professor had awakened and was staring around the compartment slightly confused. Ron was in the middle of telling him his name when he spotted Hermione.

"How is he doing?" Ron asked, his voice filled with worry.

Hermione glanced between Ron and Professor Lupin before giving Ron and assuring smile.

"I think he's thrown up everything he's ever eaten but he's still alive," Hermione said in a joking tone. She sat down next to Ron and picked up a chocolate frog. "I gave him some water and ginger crisps from the trolley. I doubt he'll keep them down but hopefully, they'll stay down long enough to help."

Professor Lupin gave Hermione a questioning look. She knew as a teacher, it was probably his job to check on sick students; even if he hadn't arrived at the school yet.

"Our friend has been sick all day," Hermione explained to the man upon seeing his questioning glance. "He's caught a nasty bug... Thank you, Ronald!" Hermione ended the last part in an accusing tone. Ron stopped shoving food in his mouth long enough to give Hermione something between a confused look and a glare.

"Sorry, Mione; but if I remember correctly, I caught it from _you!"_ Ron said with an equal amount of accusation. He could tell that Hermione was trying to prevent Professor Lupin from checking in on Harry but he did not want to be blamed for Harry's illness... Even though there technically wasn't any illness at all. "We should get him to lay on Fred and George's pillows before they go to bed tonight."

Professor Lupin frowned slightly at Ron's last statement but shook his head dismissing the topic; he looked almost as tired as Harry but unlike Harry, he didn't look like he was about to get sick all over the place. For a second, Ron thought the man might actually be sick with some type of illness. But he dismissed the thought and went back to eating a few chocolate frogs.

It wasn't much longer until they reached Hogsmeade station and Professor Lupin stood up and exited the train before any of the students began exiting the train. Hermione went to the bathroom where she found Harry slowly exiting the toilet.

"Finally, the train stopped moving," Harry said gratefully. Hermione had figured the motion would be too much on Harry after last night but she was surprised at just how much of a toll the trip had taken on him.

"How about once we reach the castle, you go to the hospital wing and we'll pick you up after the feast?" Hermione offered, knowing Harry was not going to want to sit in a room full of food and chattering people and make an attempt to eat food. Harry nodded, looking more and more tired by the second.

* * *

The hospital wing was empty and very clean. Not that it wasn't always clean but without students running through the place, it was a different level of clean. Harry spotted Madam Pomfrey sitting by the window reading a book about healing potions. She spotted Harry and quickly stood up and pointed to a bed for Harry to lay down.

After doing a quick diagnostic check with her wand she stared at Harry with a bewildered expression. Harry could only imagine what that check had revealed but something told him, it had told her everything she needed to know and then some.

"Here is an anti-nausea potion and here is a mild pain potion. Was this the... first time?" Madam Pomfrey asked carefully. Madam Pomfrey knew a lot about werewolves and they tended to have a certain posture and expression the day after the full moon. But of course, the diagnostic check had told her about his infliction. Her heart went out the child; though she'd never experienced the brutal transformation, it was easy to tell how hard it was one the body. It had also shown the presence of a powerful cloaking spell that seemed just days away from expiring... She'd have to remember to ask Harry about that later.

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said quietly. A scared as he was, he was far too tired and his throat hurt far too much to ask questions. Madam Pomfrey seemed to understand because she closed the curtains around Harry's bed and told him to rest. It only took Harry a few seconds to fall into a coma-like sleep. She rubbed the hair off of Harry's sweaty forehead and began wishing there was something she could do to make this and his future transformations easier.

Madam Pomfrey rubbed the damp hair off of Harry's sweaty forehead and began wishing there was something she could do to make this and his future transformations easier.

When Madam Pomfrey looked up and saw Remus Lupin standing in the doorway, her heart gave an excited leap; Remus was the first werewolf she had even tended to; she still remembered seeing little Remus come in after his first transformation at Hogwarts. His expression that night had been hauntingly similar to the expression Harry had on his face when he walked in.

"Remus! How are you doing? You're looking well... Considering last night of course," Madam Pomfrey gushed, taking the man in her arms and giving him a gentle squeeze.

"I could say the same about you. Keeping busy?" Remus asked cheerfully hugging her back. He took note of the fact that the feast had barely ended and there was already a student in the hospital wing... No doubt the student who had been sick in the toilet the whole trip to Hogwarts. Remus felt sorry for the kid; the feast had been magnificent.

"You know I never keep still, Remus. I've got too much to do and too little time, my child," Madam Pomfrey said as she began buzzing around the room. She came to an abrupt pause when the student in the bed began to stir. She watched the boy intently, waiting for something to happen but when he started to snore softly, she let out a breath of relief and went back to picking through her potions.

"I feel sorry for that kid; I hear he caught a right nasty bug," Remus said. Madam Pomfrey turned and glanced at Remus with an unreadable expression. She opened her mouth as though meaning to say something but quickly closed it and went back to her potions.

"Yes, well... Harry's certainly known for his bad luck," Madam Pomfrey finally said.

"Harry? As in... Harry Potter?" Remus breathed out; a funny feeling had suddenly filled his stomach. When Madam Pomfrey nodded, Remus felt his breath catch in his throat. A mixture of excitement and apprehension began flowing through him.

Remus stared at Harry and frowned lightly. He knew Lily's spell was due to wear off soon and that he probably didn't have much time to figure out how to tell Harry before his true appearance came out. Remus looked at Madam Pomfrey and knew it wouldn't be long before she found out about the spell and perhaps she could even help him figure out what to do next.

"I have to tell you something about Harry. Can we talk in your office?"


	4. Introduction

"Your son? I had always thought he was James' boy but that tells us how powerful Lily's magic was. I noticed the presence of a glamour charm but a spell of this nature is usually only detectable as it's wearing off," Madam Pomfrey rambled as she tried to make sense of what she just heard.

To say Madam Pomfrey was stunned by Remus' confession was an understatement. Madam Pomfrey was rarely ever baffled but she was definitely baffled now. She had guessed Harry had placed the glamour over summer holiday to hide some pimples or maybe a hickey; these were the types of glamours Poppy was used to seeing in thirteen-year-olds and they could be removed but this one was far more advanced and had to wear off on its own. Besides, it would be a shock to Harry's system if he suddenly looked completely different without any warning.

Besides, it would be a shock to Harry's system if he suddenly looked completely different without any warning. It was easy to predict that Harry's hair colour and facial features would drastically change. Neither Lily or Remus had black hair so Poppy was curious to see whose hair colour he was going to take.

"Wearing off, are you sure? Lily said she would work around that," Remus muttered, knowing as well as Poppy that the press would have a field day upon learning The Boy Who Lived was caught in the middle of a paternity scandal. Rita Skeeter would twist it around and make a larger mess of the situation than necessary. The last thing Harry needs is for this to be put on the cover of the Daily Prophet.

"Yes, if she used the spell I believe she did, it needs to be renewed every thirteen years and that's impossible without James alive to root the spell," Madam Pomfrey muttered sadly. But this meant they had to tell Harry the truth about who his father was.

* * *

When Harry woke up the next morning, he felt almost back to normal. The only thing wrong was how _painfully_ hungry he was; with how much he threw up yesterday, he wasn't surprised by how hungry he was. What had caught him off guard was how strong the scents around the room were. Harry could smell the potions across the room and he could tell what cleaner had been used on the floor and the dust in the air. It was quite overwhelming to be able to smell so much.

"Harry, how are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey said walking over to Harry. Her voice sounded the same as usual but her expression was unreadable.

Harry noticed there was a tall, thin man talking to Madam Pomfrey when he woke up. He wasn't sure how but the man seemed familiar in some way.

"I'm okay, I'm really hungry, though," Harry said in a quiet voice. As if on cue, Dobby popped into the room and handed Harry a large tray of food. Harry noticed that Madam Pomfrey and the man she was speaking to were both looking at him with an expression he couldn't read.

"Harry, you missed the welcome speech but this is Professor Remus Lupin; he will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts," Madam Pomfrey said.

Harry gave Professor Lupin a smile between bites but made no effort to slow down; he was much too hungry for that.

"I'm happy to meet you, Harry. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," Professor Lupin said in an excited tone. "I can't wait to begin teaching you guys."

"Alright, but please don't make us learn irrelevant things like our last Professor. He made us learn his favourite colour and his opinion on defence... There was that one class he unleashed cornish pixies into the classroom and then ran away when he lost control; he left us to put them back in the cage," Harry explained.

"He sounds like a nut!" Professor Lupin exclaimed. "His favourite colour?"

Harry smiled as he finished his breakfast and pushed the tray away. He was feeling almost full and more human than he had a few minutes ago.

"It's funny, only one person got that question right on the test," Harry laughed and Professor Lupin reacted to the fact that they had been asked that question on a test.

"Did he also ask about how he preferred to part his hair?"

"I think he did... Like I said, we only learned two things from him. How to catch cornish pixies and how NOT to organise duel club. Oh, and when he tried to fix my broken arm, he taught us how to make bones _disappear_!" Harry muttered, remembering how much it had hurt to grow those bones back. Although, that pain was nothing compared to his sudden transformation. He needed to stop thinking about _that_ before he began worrying too much about _the next time._

"Sounds like a clown," Professor Lupin said, his gaze shot immediately to Harry's arm.

"Yeah, when we went down the Chamber of Secrets, he tried to obliviate us with Ron's wand but it was broken, so it backfired and the spell hit him. But, at least he didn't try to kill me like the first one..." Harry cut himself off when he saw Professor Lupin's jaw drop and his face was that of horror. Probably wondering how one child could have so many crazy encounters.

"I need to sit down. Do any other students have stories similar to yours?" Professor Lupin asked in a strained voice.

"Just my friends Ron and Hermione. They were in your compartment. I saw you briefly before I decided to relive my meals from the week," Harry laughed, not feeling like getting into _why_ he had been sick. He wasn't ready to face _that_ reality yet. He was still hoping he'd wake up eventually and find that it had been a dream and he was still at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hmm, so what I'm hearing is, you'll be keeping me on my toes," Professor Lupin said with a laugh.

"Well, I'm next to second in most of my classes and my friend Hermione is at the top and Ron... tries," Harry said as though it were any consolation. When we're not dodging death and getting in trouble, we actually study."

"Harry! I've been worried... Your hair!" Hermione stopped what she was saying when she got a closer glimpse at Harry. Harry frowned at her, clearly confused but he ran his hands through his hair.

"Is there something in it?"

"It looks like it's going...red?" Hermione said causing Harry to grab his hair and run into the bathroom to see for himself. He heard Madam Pomfrey mutter something about having thought Harry was feeling better.

When Harry reached the mirror, he could vaguely hear Hermione and Professor Lupin on his tale but he wasn't paying attention because the roots of his hair were turning red.

"What? Hermione? How...?" Harry stammered to his best friend but words were failing him. It wasn't until Professor Lupin spoke that Harry remembered he was even in the room.

"I actually believe I might be able to answer that question."

* * *

 **Ooh, the truth is about to come out. How will Harry handle the truth?**


	5. Revelations

Harry and Hermione stared at Professor Lupin with looks of disbelief and shock. Words seemed to fail both teenagers as they listened as Harry was told that his father was... right in front of them. More importantly, that his father was not James Potter. Hermione stared at Harry, to see if he was handling it okay and found a pale face staring back at her.

Madam Pomfrey could be seen watching carefully as Harry's hair seemed to be becoming redder by the minute. There almost no black hair left on the boy's head and his facial features had been morphing as each hour passed as well. His hair also seemed to straighten out and looked less unruly. There was virtually no evidence of James on Harry's face at all; it was all Lily and a little splash of Remus Lupin. The only features gained from Remus were subtle.

"Professor, why is this happening now?" Hermione asked, sounding about as shocked with Harry's appearance as he was.

"The charm Lily placed on you expires after thirteen years and without James around to root the spell, it wore off naturally and quickly. Your mother intended to renew the spell but it can't be done and unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for your appearance now; I'm afraid you'll have to deal with the mass on this one. Poppy has sent word to Dumbledore and he will be speaking to the students at lunch to warn them to use discretion with their questions but I'm sure there will be questions," Remus explained, staring at Harry.

This particular transformation must have begun while Harry had been sleeping because his appearance was vaguely similar when Remus met him that morning. Every once in a while, Harry would dash into the toilet and touch various parts of his face as they changed. Harry had just arrived from his fifth trip when he saw Ron sitting on the bed talking to Hermione. When he caught sight of Harry his jaw fell to the floor.

"Bloody hell, mate! We considered you an honorary Weasley before but _now_ you actually look like a Weasley!" Ron exclaimed looking at Harry's hair with shock. "I almost didn't recognise you; I wouldn't have if Dumbledore hadn't made the announcement. And the fact that your scar gives you away, too. Everyone is confused."

"Well, Hermione knows, so I'm going to tell you why this has happened; but you have to promise not to tell anyone!"

* * *

When Harry, Ron and Hermione made it back to Gryffindor tower, everyone else was asleep and Harry was fine with that. It simply meant he wouldn't have to answer questions until morning. Harry fell off into a deep sleep. Today classes were starting up again the first class they had was potions with Slytherin. Harry did the best he could to ignore the long glances he received from his housemates as he followed Ron and Hermione to the great hall.

The trio simply grabbed a few muffins and left the Great Hall before any students had the chance to ask questions. But Harry knew he wouldn't have the luxury of avoiding curious gazes during classes.

Harry stepped into the potions lab and carefully hid his face behind a book. As his classmates poured into the room, Ron suddenly realised he'd left his quill in his trunk and had dashed off the get it. Harry heard Professor Snape enter the room and hoped that once class began the whispering would stop.

Harry heard Professor Snape enter the room and hoped that once class began the whispering would stop. This was the one time Harry was glad to have a class with the strict professor. Snape would not tolerate whispers or note passing of any kind unless related to work. Harry could very easily see this class turning into a salvation of sorts from the gossip that had already begun.

"Mr Weasley put your book down," Harry heard Professor Snape snap. Harry looked to the seat next to him to find that Ron had not returned. He looked around trying to find Ron when Snape suddenly slammed the book out of Harry's hands.

"I said put your boo..." Professor Snape's voice caught in his throat when he caught sight of Harry. His expression quickly changed from his usual scowl to a look of shock and pure disbelief. Harry felt his face redden and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He'd expected his housemates to stare and he'd expected leering from the Slytherin house but certainly not _this_.

When Ron entered the classroom, Professor Snape merely told them to turn to page 365 and read for a few minutes while he went out for some fresh air. Harry almost felt like begging the professor to come back instead of leaving Harry alone with the sharks.

"So, Harry! I must say, I'm loving this new look. Did the Boy Who Lived get bored with his looks?" Draco Malfoy said as he walked in front of Harry, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. "Perhaps the Weasels were a bad source of inspiration. I would have happily allowed you to model your looks after me; at least I have class!"

Harry noticed Ron going red in the face and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"But you do pull off the look better, I might add. You might want to consider leaving your appearance this way. Nobody likes it when someone changes their appearance too often," Draco said in a tone Harry was unfamiliar with.

"You will take your seat immediately. You will have the chance to look at Mr... Potter after class," Professor Snape said, hesitating with Harry's last name. Not that Harry blames him, he no longer looked like a Potter. Legally his name was Potter but that was it. James had adopted Harry as a son and had left his fortune to Harry in his will knowing that he wasn't biologically his. Harry would have obsessed over this longer put Professor Snape had already begun the lesson.

Harry couldn't believe how clear his mind felt in class that day. It was as if his brain had been filled with fog until recently and now he was seeing everything with newfound clarity. The potion for the day was a simple calming draught and both Harry had managed to complete his potion before Hermione. When Harry handed the potion to Snape, he noticed the professor was struggling not to stare at Harry's face.

When the potion was tested, Professor Snape stared at Harry for a few seconds before giving Harry the mark of 'O'.

"Five points to Gryffindor for completing this assignment first," Professor Snape said and to Harry's surprise, his voice was not as sharp and cold as usual.

Classes for the rest of the morning breezed by quickly. Harry found that his mind was clearer in all of his classes and he was better able to answer questions and demonstrate spells. By lunch time, Harry noticed Professor Lupin motioning for Harry to follow him.

Harry followed him to the fifth floor to the Defense classroom and into a large office through the classroom door. He motioned for Harry to sit down while he poured some tea. Professor Lupin's face was difficult for Harry to read. It was somewhere between worry, sadness and an emotion Harry could not determine.

"Madam Pomfrey and I had an interesting conversation, Harry," Professor Lupin started. "She was asking for my consent to speak with the Headmaster in regards to your condition."

"M-my condition, sir?" Harry asked nervously unsure what he was talking about.

"Harry, when were you going to mention you were a werewolf?"

Harry was unsure how to respond to that question. He found himself feeling cornered with a reality he still wasn't ready to face yet and here he was being forced to face it.

"Um, you never asked?" Harry put out. "And I've been doing my best to push it out of my mind and maybe it will... go away."

Professor Lupin gave Harry a sympathetic look before sitting down next to him.

"If it were that simple, I would have done so years ago," Professor Lupin laughed causing Harry to look at him with a look of surprise.

"You're a... werewolf?" Harry asked, once again hesitating on the word _werewolf._ Because somehow saying the word seemed like acknowledging his own infliction. 

Professor Lupin nodded before smiling at Harry.

"I'm assuming this is a... trait you inherited from me. When did this begin?" Lupin asked.

"Um, the first... It started the night before we came to Hogwarts. I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron with Ron and Hermione. We were hanging out in my room when.. it happened," Harry explained.

Lupin paled slightly upon hearing that and took a few ragged breaths before speaking again.

"Should I be checking them for bites?" Lupin asked in a tense voice. When Harry shook his head, he visibly relaxed.

"Hermione knew a fair bit about werewolves and figured out what was happening; she warded the room so I couldn't get out and left before anything dangerous could happen. The room got roughed up real bad but Hermione came armed with spells to repair everything," Harry laughed. Hermione was prepared for anything at any time.

"You're very lucky. Things could have been disastrous in many ways. But I was thinking that I will take you to speak with Dumbledore about this. He'll want to make accommodations during the full moon that will be safe for everyone involved. I was thinking we could go now."


	6. Resorted

By the end of the week, Dumbledore had informed Professor McGonagal and Professor Snape of Harry's infliction and of the fact that he was indeed Remus' son. Harry wasn't sure he wanted Snape involved but it turned out Professor Snape brewed a potion that would allow Harry to not become a complete monster on the next full moon. Besides, now Snape almost seemed... nice to Harry. Harry figured it had a lot to do with the fact that Harry was not related to James Potter and therefore no longer resembled him.

Harry figured it had a lot to do with the fact that Harry was not related to James Potter and therefore no longer resembled him. Remus had explained to Harry the way James had treated Snape and Harry didn't blame the man for disliking the child who looked like him. Apparently, James arranged for Snape to meet Remus during the full moon and had nearly gotten him killed. After hearing that, Harry wasn't he liked the man whose face he shared for the first thirteen years of his life.

Harry was sitting in Remus' office and trying to figure out what was off about Ron's rat. Harry's sense of smell had increased drastically and he could now distinguish the difference between human and animal scents. But Ron's rat smelled _human._ Harry had come to recognise Remus' scent as being close to human but not exactly. But this rat smelled human and human only.

When Remus entered the room, he found Harry, sitting on the floor poking something. When he got a closer look he saw that Harry was poking a _rat._

"There's something off about this rat. I don't know how or if I'm completely mad but it smells human?" Harry stated as he poked the sleeping rat in the face. The rat didn't even budge upon being poked. Remus stared at the rat with an expression Harry had never seen before. Harry watched shocked as Remus warded the room so no one could leave and told Harry to step away from the sleeping rat.

Remus sent a message to Dumbledore using the floo network and within a matter of minutes, Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall were standing with Remus staring at the rat.

Before any of the confused professors could ask Remus why they were there, he took out his wand and cast a spell at the sleeping rat. But laying in front of them was no longer a rat but a face rat-faced man. Harry was shocked to see a rat turn into a man but even more surprised when Snape grabbed Harry by his robes and pulled the young boy safely behind him. Harry found himself wondering if they expected this man to attack; more importantly, he found himself wondering just who this man was. He got the feeling that his professors all knew who the man was.

"This is why you've asked me to bring Veritaserum potion?" Professor Snape said as he retrieved a vial of cloudy white potion and a potion dropper. Harry watched as the potions master slipped a few drops of the potion into the man's mouth and then stepped back with the other professors and Harry.

When the man stirred awake, Harry couldn't believe how rat-like he was awake. From the way his face moved to the way his beady eyes zoomed around the room. Harry found the man left him with a deeply uncomfortable feeling and was glad Professor Snape had wanted Harry behind him.

"State your name," Dumbledore said in a firm voice that Harry had never heard from the old man. The voice was close

"Peter Pettigrew," the man replied in a voice that was void of any kind of emotion or thought. Like the words were slipping out but the man had yet to acknowledge what he was saying. It's like the man wasn't fully there or even aware of his surroundings. He certainly didn't acknowledge the fact that almost everyone in the room had a wand pointed at him.

"Why are you alive? We were under the impression that you were dead, that Sirius Black had murdered you," Dumbledore said.

"I framed him; it was easier than you'd expect. I knew he'd been seeking me out because he was upset that I gave James and Lily's location away to Voldemort. All I really had to do was kill a few muggles, cut off a finger and shift into my animagus form and make a large enough explosion and everyone turned to blame Sirius. It helped my case drastically that everyone assumed that he was the Potters' secret keeper."

Harry found himself really confused by what the rat-faced man was saying and even more confused when Dumbledore placed a body-bind curse on the man. The only thing he understood was that this man was the reason his mother and adopted father had been murdered.

"I believe there has been a mix-up, I will see to it that Peter is placed in Azkaban and that the wizarding community is informed of Sirius' innocence," Dumbledore said as he bent down to grab Peter's shoulder. With a loud crack, both Peter and Dumbledore disappeared leaving Harry alone with his professors.

* * *

The next morning, Harry was still confused about what had happened but had agreed to remain silent about it until told otherwise. Remus had explained the whole thing to Harry but Harry still had questions to ask. But that wasn't why Harry had been called to Professor Dumbledore office on that morning.

Harry found himself feeling lost and confused lately. Since his potion had worn off, he'd lost a lot of his characteristics that had defined who he was before. His personality had changed drastically; Harry suddenly felt more inclined to study and investigate things thoroughly. He had quickly become an academic rival to Hermione who actually appreciated having some "proper competition".

He found that he still enjoyed quidditch but not with the same passion as before. It was like his whole personality had changed and he had no idea how to handle it. It was almost like Harry had become a different person. When he expressed this to Dumbledore, the headmaster frowned.

"I almost figured something like this would happen. This is common with children who have had a paternity spell placed on them," Dumbledore explained. "They take on certain personality traits from the secondary parental figure and once the spell wears off, they find their personality alters to match their true biologic parents. I believe the best course of action now would be to have you resorted."

"Resorted, sir?" Harry asked, confused. He'd never heard of students being resorted before.

"Yes, Harry. You are sorted into your houses based on personality traits and as you mentioned before, you have noticed your personality changing and we want to make sure you are in the house that best nurtures your new personality," Dumbledore said as he stood up and collected the sorting hat from a stool in the corner of his office. Before Harry could object, the hat was placed on his head.

 _Hmm, I remember you but you've changed! Your mind is different; you're different. You've finally come to into your true self. I must say, it took you long enough. But where to put you. You still have your ambitious ways and a thirst to prove yourself. And from what I can tell you've become quite resourceful and clever. I stand by my previous guess for you and I am even more certain that you belong in SLYTHERIN!"_

* * *

 **Please don't hate me for that but it had to be done for the story to move on. Believe me, I have good reasons for doing this.**


	7. Confusion

**Things are about to get interesting. Tell me if you want this to be a Drarry story. I'm leaning towards the idea but I want to hear your opinion on this. I'm always up to receive ideas.**

* * *

Slytherin? This had to be a joke. But when Harry looked down at his tie, he found that it had gone from red and gold to green and silver. Harry stared up at Dumbledore with disbelief and shock. Harry was having trouble processing the fact that he'd been in Gryffindor for the past two years and would now be spending the rest of his time at Hogwarts in Slytherin with _Malfoy!_

What seemed more crazy was Dumbledore not only seemed unsurprised but overjoyed by this discovery.

"This is a terrific opportunity you've been given, Harry. You will get to know your new housemates in a new light and maybe even make some new friends," Dumbledore said stepping towards the fireplace. With how happy the old man was at that moment, Harry was almost surprised the man didn't skip to the fireplace.

"Severus, won't you step through and have a word with me," Dumbledore said in a tone that made Harry wonder just what Dumbledore had up his sleeve. Harry could practically hear the old man's smile getting larger with each word. When Snape stepped through the fireplace, he stared at Dumbledore with suspicion.

"What can I do for you, Headmaster?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow at Dumbledore who was practically shaking with joy. But when Snape caught sight of Harry with the sorting hat on his head, he turned back to Dumbledore with a look of confusion.

"Dumbledore, what have you done?" Snape asked, eyeing the old man with apprehension.

"Isn't it obvious, my dear boy. Harry has recently undergone a personality shift and I have sorted him into a house that will nurture his new, brilliant personality."

When Snape looked back at Harry, he spotted the green and silver tie and glanced once again back to Dumbledore.

"Well, you are quite determined to throw this boy's word completely upside down, aren't you?" Snape asked in his usual cool tone.

Dumbledore merely smiled at Snape as he took the sorting hat from Harry's head and placed it back on the stool. Harry shot a confused glance to Snape who simply shrugged; it was clear the potions master had never experienced something like this before and was unsure how to handle this. Harry was also nervous; he knew when he made his way to the Slytherin table that afternoon that it would not go unnoticed.

"I think the important thing to do is to warn your house and Harry might want to go warn his friends of this... new development," Dumbledore said, once again his voice was way too perky. "I'll leave you two to it."

And with that, Dumbledore ushered both Harry and Snape out of his office; clearly trying to get them out before either of them tried to object or argue the new arrangement.

"You asked to be resorted?" Snape asked Harry after a few minutes.

"No, Dumbledore wanted to see how I was adjusting and when I told him, he decided to resort me and next thing I knew, the hat was on my head and Dumbledore was smiling like Christmas had come early," Harry explained. "I just can't figure out why he felt he needed to put me in another house."

"Yes, well, Dumbledore is a meddlesome old coot when he wants to be. I'm sure he has reasons but maybe you should focus on telling your friends about your new house. I'll go inform your new housemate," Snape said in a cool voice. It was obvious Snape was about as excited to have Harry and Malfoy in the same house as Harry was.

* * *

"He can't do that, can he?" Ron shouted, staring at Harry's new tie and back to Hermione with a bewildered expression.

"He can and he did; he decided it was 'the best course of action' and then here we are," Harry said with a shrug as he looked around the library. By now the Slytherin house knew about their new housemate and it wouldn't be long before the whole school knew. Harry had sent an owl to Remus explaining his new housing situation and was waiting for a reply in the library.

"But you'll be living with _Malfoy,_ Harry!" Ron insisted, like voicing this fact was going to somehow change things.

After a few minutes of listening to Ron try and talk Harry out of going to the snake pit; Remus and Snape entered the library and made their way to the table.

"I've spoken to my students and warned them of their new housemate," Snape said quietly. "We're going to go down to the dungeons now. Your belongings have been moved over to your new dorm and the rest of your ties have been switched over."

'Harry, are you ready? Everything is going to turn out, okay? Just be patient and make the best of it," Remus said with a smile before Harry followed Snape towards the dungeons. It was an unusual experience going into the dungeons without the intention of going to potions class. Snape no longer seemed hostile towards Harry but Harry had come to learn that though he still wasn't the friendliest person, he was a good teacher and he'd come to appreciate potions.

When they reached the portrait that led to the Slytherin common room, they found a large painting of a woman dressed in green with long flowing black hair. She had a snake around her neck like a scarf and was smiling merrily when she spotted Snape and Harry.

"Password?" She smirked widely and eyed Harry with an unreadable expression.

"Salamander," Snape offered, causing the door to swing open revealing an empty Slytherin common room.

Snape quickly showed Harry to the room he'd be sharing with three other third year boys. The room was mainly green and silver and the beds were larger and more comfortable looking than Gryffindor. There were four windows, each window had a desk facing them. Each bed was made neatly and had a trunk resting at the foot of the bed. Harry spotted his trunk quickly and smiled nervously at Snape.

"Very well Mr... Um, I'll be by later to explain house rules and to bring you up to date on your new class schedule. For now, just relax; I'm sure you won't get much peace once your housemates return from lunch." And with that, Snape left Harry to his thoughts.


	8. Slytherin

Harry spent the time alone looking around the Slytherin common room. It was as he had remembered it from last year but this time, Harry didn't have to worry about what would happen if he was caught because this was where he was supposed to be right now. As Harry wondered around, he found an odd amount of comfort from the green and silver environment. It was also warmer than Harry had expected the dungeons to be but Harry suspected there was a charm or two being used.

Harry wondered for a minute how this was going to affect his friendship with Ron and Hermione. They wouldn't be able to spend as much time together now and things were going to change because of this. Harry's classes were going to change, his common room and now he even had a brand new Head of House. Harry knew it could be worse; at least Professor Snape didn't seem to hate him anymore.

Harry made his was to the common area and sat down with his potions textbook and began reading the assigned reading. By the time Harry was half way through, the Slytherin house began pouring into the common room. Harry took a deep breath and braced himself.

As the students spotted Harry, they either began whispering the each other or just staring as though they though Professor Snape had been kidding about Harry being resorted into Slytherin.

"Why'd you leave Gryffindor?" Pasny Parkinson blurted as she plopped onto the couch and started at Harry as though his being there was the most scandalous thing that she'd ever seen in her life but then again, Harry had never heard of a student being resorted.

"I didn't really have a choice, Dumbledore just place the hat on my head. If I had have wanted to be resorted, I would have at least warned my friends beforehand," Harry said and surprisingly, the other Slytherins just nodded as though it made sense.

"Yes, that old coot never could mind his own business," Blaise Zabini said with a scowl. "But he probably had some reason that will somehow benefit the 'greater good'."

Harry found himself surprised by how... friendly the Slytherins were acting. Harry had almost expected them to treat him as they had been for the past few years but Harry realised, he was now one of them and they were going to treat him like such. Even Draco Malfoy was watching Harry without as much venom or hatred... Actually, Harry couldn't identify the emotion on Malfoy's face at all.

"Yeah, it's like he had it planned. He brought me into his office to 'check up on me' and it was like I played into his hand when I told him what was happening," Harry said, relaxing slightly but not enough to get caught off guard.

"He can be like that and he has a way that makes you actually want to spill your guts to him; it annoying," Draco exclaimed, obviously having experienced this before. "That man should have been a Slytherin! But I'm surprised you winded up here, Potter."

"Actually, the hat wanted to put me here first-year but..."

"Don't tell me, Weasley told you that we're all evil and not to be trusted," Draco cut Harry off, looking mildly annoyed at the implication of being evil. Harry wanted to defend his friend but it was true. Ron had been one of the main reasons Harry didn't want to be in Slytherin.

By the time Professor Snape came back to the common room, Harry was sitting with Draco, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle talking about some of the things Dumbledore did that left them baffled and confused. The rest of the Slytherin house had gotten over the initial shock of Harry's presence and had continued on with their usual activities. Professor Snape did his best to cover his shock but seeing Harry having such a casual discussion with Draco Malfoy was surprising.

"Mr... Ugh, Harry; If you would follow me into my office, please," Professor Snape said, once again unsure what last name to call the boy, so instead opted for his first name.

Harry stood up and followed Severus up a winding flight of stairs and into a large office filled with potions books and papers. There were shelves of various potion ingredients all over the walls; Harry could barely tell what some of the ingredients were but that was probably because of how advanced they were. Most of them were visibly warded to keep students away from them. Harry wondered if Severus knew about the ingredients they'd taken last year to make their polyjuice potion.

Professor Snape handed Harry a new schedule and a few other pieces of parchment. Harry glanced at the schedule and found that he had four classes with Gryffindor, one of them being double potions the following day. But what confused Harry was every Tuesday and Thursday there was a study hour.

"Yes, I see you've spotted the study hour. The Slytherin house is like a... family, shall we say. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. This is why we have study sessions twice a week to help everyone stay on top of their classes and get assistance when needed. This is a time to share insight on classes and get caught up. It also helps me to find students who might need more help than others and in what subjects. Since I've put this system in place, Slytherins overall marks have improved by sixty percent."

"What about Quidditch, sir? Will I still get to play?" Harry asked Professor Snape, who smiled.

"Yes; Draco has given you the Seeker position and taken the chaser position. He said anyone who can catch a snitch in 5 minutes, deserves to be Seeker," Professor Snape said, his eyes now glowing as the victorious image crossed his mind. Slytherin was going to be unstoppable this year. Harry was still stunned to hear that Draco had done something in favour of Harry and not just to make him miserable.

"The next thing we need to discuss is your... condition. I'll be giving you a potion to drink to keep you in control but you still won't be able to stay in the dorm while it's... flaring up," Professor Snape said carefully. "I've made arrangements for you to spend those nights in the room of requirement. It will provide your and Professor Lupin with everything you need to be comfortable. But we'll discuss that further next week when your father is present. The house rules are the same as all other houses except we stand together and help each other when needed."

Harry nodded, this was something he'd observed a while ago and understood why this was important. Slytherins were the least understood and had the worst reputation because of a few cases where Slytherins went bad. Now that Harry was older, he understood that being in Slytherin wasn't enough to turn you evil but there were still a lot of students who didn't understand that and went out of their way to make Slytherins lives miserable.

"I just want you to understand that your situation is unique and though the staff will do their best, you might need to be patient as they adjust to your new house. We haven't had a student resorted since I was a student here and it will take some time for the staff to fully adjust," Professor Snape said in a tone that was new to Harry. "You'll be sharing a room with Mr Zabini and Mr Malfoy; they were the only ones with a vacant bed. But, from what I saw earlier, I don't think you'll wind up killing each other."

When Harry left, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened and he still couldn't wrap his head around everything. But Harry could tell that his life was never going to be the same again.


End file.
